New Zealand have been knocked out of the men’s title race at SVNS Perth after losing in the pool stages to Uruguay and Fiji at HBF Park. After suffering a heavy defeat to the Fijians on Saturday, the All Blacks Sevens needed another result to get things going their way, but the match did not go as they had hoped.
After a relatively strong performance in the HSBC SVNS Series season opener in Dubai (where they finished fourth at The Sevens Stadium) and a sixth-place finish in Cape Town last month, New Zealand turned their focus to Perth.
For the second year in a row, the premier rugby sevens competition heads to Australia’s west coast to be played in front of passionate crowds. On a hot January morning, the All Blacks Sevens kicked off the tournament with a promising win over Kenya.
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New Zealand beat Kenya 29-14 and had a chance to make a statement against Uruguay in their second match. Uruguay shocked the rugby world with a 24-17 win over Fiji on day one. .
But Tomas Khama’s men lost to Uruguay in another shock, setting the stage for an unmissable billiards showdown between the Men in Black and Fiji. Both teams will need a win to secure a place in the Men’s Cup quarter-finals or risk elimination if they lose.
Iowane Teba got the party started for Fiji with a long-range getaway attempt in the second minute. A few minutes later it was all Fiji as they took the lead with another four tries as Andrew Knewstubb struck back against the All Blacks Sevens.
The men’s SVNS series leaders Jiji Nasova, Pilipo Bukayaro, Viwa Naduvalo and Terio Veilawa all hit five-pointers in a dominant 33-5 win over New Zealand. While New Zealand were in trouble, Fiji survived a scare to progress to the next round.
“The loss to Uruguay yesterday was a bit of a blip on the radar, but they have regained their position as top dogs and Fiji are through to the quarter finals, 33 points to 5,” commentator Rikki Swannell said on the broadcast.
“New Zealand, doesn’t it say it on your face? “They are currently struggling to find a way out.”
England secured a place in the next round with a big win over Ireland. They advanced to the next round as one of the top two teams in pool play, finishing third behind France and Spain in Pool B.
New Zealand needed a result to advance to Group A to get through. Hosts Australia take on the brave USA, while reigning SVNS Perth champions Argentina take on Cape Town winners South Africa in this heavyweight clash.
Australia won 19-12, which was enough to secure a spot in the next stage. Aaron Cummings put the United States ahead with an impressive runaway effort in the first minute, but Australia hit back through Michael Icely and Henry Hutchison.
Jack Wendling made things very interesting for the Americans with an eight-minute effort, but James Turner’s try for Australia two minutes after the siren was undoubtedly met with positive cheers from the Perth crowd.
Argentina then bounced back with a convincing win over South Africa in double overtime on Friday. Matteo Graziano, Marcos Moneta and Matias Osadczuk all contributed as Los Pumas Sevens went into the break with a 19-0 advantage.
South Africa posted a slight comeback in the second term, but Argentina never relinquished the lead and won 19-17. It was enough for the defending champions to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
As a result, New Zealand ranked in the bottom four.
The All Blacks Sevens will face Ireland in the ninth-place second semi-final, while the United States and Kenya will meet in the other men’s fixture outside the Cup quarter-finals.
